Docs warn gym goers as sudden heart attacks return, killing at least 4 in 24 hrs

NEW DELHI: Health experts on Thursday warned gym goers, especially those in their mid-30s and 40s, should get themselves properly evaluated by doctors before beginning their exercise regimen, as sudden heart attacks returned in India, claiming the lives of at least four people -- three young adults and one minor -- in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat in the last 24 hours.

The tragic news has raised fresh concerns over the fatal disease, which soared significantly in the country post the Covid-19 pandemic.

In four separate incidents, a 32-year-old man passed away at a gym in UP’s Varanasi on Wednesday, a 17-year-old minor died in Rajkot, while a 40-year-old man living in Hanuman Madhi Chowk area died of a heart attack on Thursday.

Another man, aged 34 years, died of a heart attack in Gujarat's Navsari while riding a bike.

"Whenever we start gymming/exercise, it should be a gradual onset, the duration should be staggered, should initially be less and then and gradually be increased to match the person’s tolerance level," Dr Manish Aggarwal, Senior Consultant and head of interventional cardiology at PSRI Hospital, told IANS.

He noted that a doctor's assessment can warn of any risk factor for coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, strong family history of heart disease, which can help avert any untoward incidents. Tobacco smoking, unhealthy lifestyle with increased intake of junk foods rich in salt, sugar, and unhealthy oils, and zero exercise are some of the major risk factors for the increasing heart attack cases in the country.

Last year, several people collapsed at Garba events during Navratri in Gujarat, and at least 10 people reportedly died of heart attacks. The youngest of the victims was just 17 years old.

While heart attacks have been occurring for long, the Covid virus as well as the vaccine have been speculated as a risk factor.

The deaths also come amid reports of British pharma giant AstraZeneca admitting that its Covid vaccine, developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford, and sold as Covishield in India, can raise the risk of blood clots.

Blood clots, which narrow the arteries leading to the heart, can cause a heart attack.